The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Uganda office has condemned the actions of a maid Jolly Tumuhirwe, UNICEF Uganda’s Representative. “Any such act of abuse and violence against children is completely unacceptable and a violation of every child’s fundamental right to be protected.”

In order to prevent similar cases of child abuse, UNICEF has called for immediate action to be taken to prevent and respond to all current and future cases of violence against children in Uganda.

UNICEF has called for the following steps to be taken to ensure the protection of children.

1. The immediate passing the Amendments to the Children’s Act.

2. Significant additional resources to be allocated to prevent and respond to all cases of violence against children in Uganda, and;

3. All people who know of such cases to report them to the Child Helpline SAUTI by dialling 116 so urgent action can be taken

Girma noted: “No child deserves to be hurt or mistreated in any way. We call on Government and all Ugandans to once and for all put an end to the atrocious violence too many children in Uganda continue to experience,”

According to UNICEF, around 3.5 million children between the ages of 6-17 – 32% of all 6-17 year olds – currently experience physical violence in Uganda today.

According to the international Committee on the Rights of the Child, physical violence is a form of “any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light.

Violence mostly involves hitting (“smacking”, “slapping”, “spanking”) children, with the hand or with an implement like a whip, stick, belt, shoe, or wooden spoon. But it can also involve, for example, kicking, shaking or throwing children, scratching, pinching, biting, pulling hair or boxing ears, caning, forcing children to stay in uncomfortable positions, burning, scalding, or forced ingestion.”

Update

Following the publication of the video, the maid Jolly Tumuhirwe was arrested by the police, and is set to appear in court on December 8.